Man and Beast

Duke and Okiedoke, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's Duke and Okiedoke, David's new 2 pound chihuahua.
Duke lived in Jones with me and Dave this year and rolled down to Houston with me for the wedding. I'm really glad I didn't have to drive it alone.

cruisin'

cruisin', originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Me about mile 250 of 400 on the way down to Houston. Nothing the road warrior can't handle.
I plowed through two packs of sunflower seeds on the trip, then spilled A LOT of the shells I put in a cup in the car. A classic move.

lots more to go

more to go, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

We went through Dallas then realized there was much more of this desolate landscape to pass through before reaching Houston.

City of fame

AD's hometown, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Palestine, Texas--hometown of your friend and mine, Mr. Adrian Peterson.

sweet

sweet, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Have to put this one on the calendar.

rich, white guy

rich, white guy, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here Sam Houston towers over I-45, encouraging all passers-by to live reasonable, wealthy lives and to enjoy their stay in his hot and unbelievably humid city.
That was my take at least.

Gramps and Grandson

Gramps and Grandson, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

David and his grandpa Archie.

Words to his Bride

Words to his Bride, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

David's dad Mark captures some words from David to his bride-to-be.

Good to Go

Good to Go, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Dave getting warmed up in the dressing room.

"Am I going to the left or the right for the kiss?"
~This is all he's thinking about.

All the King's Men

Army of Groom's Men, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

The groom's men posing for some thilly shots pre-wedding. Their photographer took one million pictures, really. Photo overload. That's a lot coming from me...

Big Church

Big Church, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's the main sanctuary of Champion Forrest Baptist. Dave and Syd got married in the chapel next door as this sanctuary seats 4,200 and would've engulfed the wedding party entirely.

The Chapel

The Chapel, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's the little chapel where they got married. The main sanctuary would have been WAY too big.

Pre-music

Premusic, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

David's friends from Cali played some kickin' pre-wedding music. These three (the Wong family) are from Marietta, Cali., and drove all the way to Houston from California. OUCH.
This was their first trip to the mid-west, ever. David treated them right with chicken fried steak and some Don't Mess With Texas t-shirts.

The Lineup

The Lineup, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Dave solemnly prepares to see his bride as his dad Mark (left) smiles.

The Maids

The Maids, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

The small army of bride's maids.

Vows

Vows, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Dave and Syd exchange "I dos."

just married

just married, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Mr. and Mrs. David Andrew Shook, just seconds established.

Cutting

Cutting, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Mr. and Mrs. Shook carve up the first piece. I opted for the chocolate cake, though. Saturday was a heavy chocolate day for me.

Flowing Choco Goodness

Flowing Choco Goodness, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

This was perhaps the best part of the reception. Nothing beats flowing chocolate where manual dipping is allowed.
I thought I heard Oompaloompas singing in the background...

"What would you do if you guzzled down sweets, eating as much as an elephant eats..."

Only in Texas

Only in Texas, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

I'm tired of seeing this flag. Note that even the mud flaps on this rig are Lone Starred-out. Sheesh.

homeward bound

homeward, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

The sign of Dallas taunts us on our way home. We drove 850 miles spending a total of about 13 hours in the car for a stay in Houston lasting about 17hrs.
But hey, it was worth it to see Dave and Syd get hitched.
Note: scenery from Dallas to Houston on I-45 is nearly worthless.

D-town Megalopolis

D-town Megalopolis, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Dallas, a place of mystical commerce and business opportunity. A place where little Texans can grow up to be big and strong and incorporate little empires of their own while proudly flying the Lone Star colors from every eave and balcony of their suburban-sprawled mansions.
Not that there is anything wrong with business or commerce, or even little Texans for that matter. I just wouldn't want to live there.

H2: A Standard of Living

H2: A Standard of Living, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

I saw more than a fair share of these dominating the highway in the D/FW area. Nothing screams consumer debt more than a bright, shiny red $50k (well equipped) SUV.

Sunset of our journey

Sunset of our journey, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here the sun sets on the journey back from Houston as we near Oklahoma.

sweet ride

sweet ride, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

This would certainly be one sweet ride if you didn't mind hot bike rides in Cleburn, TX. I only wish I could be a part of this year's annual Goatneck.

amazing

amazing, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here Diana stands atop a really high point in Costa Rica. On a clear day at this peak, you can see the Atlantic and the Pacific at the same time.

Animals in the sky

Horse, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

This is another one by Diana from Costa Rica. Can you see the animal flying through the sky?
Hint: look at the foliage.

Green Stuff

Green Stuff, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's a picture my friend Diana took in Costa Rica. Once, when we both went on a mission trip to Mexico (circa 1999), I took a picture of some trees (green stuff basically). Diana thought I was crazy for taking a picture of such a petty subject matter.
Thus, six years later, she took this one to mock my original Green Stuff masterpiece. She just can't let it go.

my folks

my folks, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

I think this picture pretty much wraps up my parents. Here they are.

reeds

reeds, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's a random picture I'd thought I'd post just for fun. I took it awhile back down by the pond where the "girls" go on a walk with daddy everyday.

Whoopsy Daisy

blood, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

I was working in a yard of a client Tuesday (with a chainsaw mind you), and the chain happened to come off the saw. Fortunately, it only bit me twice and the wounds are both superficial. It was kinda cool to bleed from being cut by a chainsaw. Don't try this at home though, I'm thinking the results could be a lot worse.

Hang a Jack up for Pride

Hang a Jack up for Pride, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here Sam reads some southern history mumbo while generall working on his thesis. Gimme a B, O, R, I, N, G! No, not really. I'm sure it's interesting. Just a bit tedious for the lay man to comprehend at times.

Sam used the flag to redecorate my room for me. And he complains about too many American flags being flown...Silly git.

Grandparents and Carson

Grandparents and Carson, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here my folks and my nephew pose before parting ways. We all came down to Dallas to visit The Fatman (a.k.a. my brother) this past weekend. Good times.

Daughter, mother

Daughter, mother, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's Dinah. She's made her official first apperance. Let's give her a round of applause.
I guess my mom hasn't been on here either yet... Well, here they are.

The Secret Sibling (with family)

The Secret Sibling (with family), originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's my "big" bro Aaron with his fam. Wife Laura and son Carson. He really does exist for those of you out there who have never met or seen him.

Note: I still can't beat him up.

gully washer

gully washer, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's another one of what it looked like out the front door during the storm.

night and day

night and day, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's a shot out my front door of the storm that raged the other night. This shot came out pretty cool with the lightning illuminating the 'hood.

too much to see

too much to see, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's all there is to do in Lawton, OK. Betcha didn't know there was this much to do in this bustling metropolis.

protecting lives

protecting lives, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Tanner and Hunter work as lifeguards at a pool on post at Ft. Sill. They get $7.75/hr. for doing this, playing cell phone games for 8 hrs. at a time.
There are three life guards assigned to this pool where at most about six people at a time come to swim. Not a bad gig.

feeding bambi

feeding bambi, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Tanner found Daisy about two weeks ago in a clump of grass on his land in Meers. She was abandoned by her mother so she is now part of the family. I got to feed her some warm powdered goat's milk a few times.Mhhhh...goat's milk.

perdy

perdy, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Sunset in southwestern Oklahoma. Shot this one near Tanner's house in Meers, OK when I went down for a visit last week. This was the sunset we saw after a nice evening bike ride through the Wildlife Refuge.

The few, the proud, the artists

The few, the proud, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here L. sits with others listening to canned speeches and watching men in tight pants dance around. The college of fine arts has all kinds of "interesting" things going on during its graduation ceremony.

"I'm so darn proud"

"I'm so darn proud", originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's Laura making her way up the steps, into the seats of Sharp Music Hall, preparing to graduate.

Das Boot

Das Boot, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Josh enjoying his boot of Oktoberfest at his Royal Bavaria birthday bash. Colin destroyed Josh, drinking his big boot minutes faster.

German goodness

German goodness, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

L Stu tackling 1000mL of Oktoberfest--Old Skool.

Big Spider

Big Spider, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Sam poses with Ol' Taranty, reveling in her size by giving the customary "thumbs up."

"Don't got 'em like that in England, tell ya wut."

Tarantula, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here Sam pokes at a tarantula we found while riding out to Royal B for some choice adult beverages.

ken and j-do

ken and jdo, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's J-do posing with his uncle. This man is obssessive about his cars. His vehicles (he owns 5) are meticulously cared for and maintained.

backyard

backyard, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

Here's J-do's uncle's backyard in Topeka. He's got about 5 acres. Not a bad piece of land. Kind of remote and lonely for me.

AHHH!!!

AHHH!!!, originally uploaded by johnniestu.

I got stuck on a two-lane highway behind grandpa going 5 under for about 30 miles. There is little worse than this on a road trip.